Thursday, December 17, 2009

Well, I didn't get a make over myself... But the Total Fitness Bodybuilding website did...

www.LeeHayward.com has been online since January 1999 and during that time we've changed A LOT. From the simple cheesy HTML pages of the 1990's, to the not so cheesy HTML pages of the 2000's, and now we're moving right along into the 2010's with a sexy and user friendly interactive Web 2.0 WordPress Blog.

I'm still going to keep this blogger online as a resource because there is almost 2 years worth of valuable content posted here.

But from now on the main www.LeeHayward.com homepage is going to be my blog. And this only makes sense, as it is the easiest way for you to see what new things are happening with the Total Fitness Bodybuilding community.

All the articles, Q and A, pictures, etc. from the old site are still available for you to refer to. But I'm going to be updating and posting a lot of those articles to the new blog site because its much easier for you to find exactly what training and nutrition topics you are looking for.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Well, I'm 2 weeks into my pre-contest diet for the 2010 Atlantic Canadian Bodybuilding Championships on April 17th. So far so good, I took some progress pics in the can after my workout the other day and posted them below...

(gotta love the toilet in the background, adds character :)

I'll be keeping track of my progress and posting what I'm doing with regards to my diet, training, cardio, etc.

Right now all I'm doing is cleaning up my eating and doing daily cardio. Nothing too drastic. For example, if something comes from a drive through window, or gets brought to the door by a delivery guy, then chances are I shouldn't be eating it LOL.

For my cardio I'm doing at least 30 minutes per day. I'll use my elliptical and stepper at home if the weather isn't good outside. If it is a nice day I'll go for a walk with my dog Sasha. And if I have to shovel snow out of the driveway I'll count that as cardio as well :-)

Monday, December 14, 2009

It's Monday again and if you venture into the gym today no doubt you'll see countless guys lined up for their big bench press workout.

We're creatures of habit... - For most guys Monday is always "Day 1". - First day in the routine is always a "Chest Workout". - First exercise for chest is always the "Bench Press".

I don't know why this came to be, but it just is...

For me personally I'd rather train any other bodypart besides chest on a Monday for the simple fact that all the benches are going to have guys lined up waiting to use them, and I hate waiting for equipment.

But if your workout today does happen to be a chest workout with the bench press as your main exercise, then I have a good training tip that you can use...

"What Is The Best Bench Press Grip For Building The Chest?"

Some lifters prefer a wide grip because it reduces the range of motion and generally makes it easier to lift more weight. However, the drawback to a wide grip is that it places more stress on your shoulders and increases your risk of a shoulder / rotator cuff injury.

The best grip for chest training is a medium width grip, with your elbows kept close to the sides of your body. This will place the most workload on your pecs, while minimizing the stress on your shoulder joints.

To prevent injury you should avoid wide grip benching with your upper arms pointed out at 90 degree angles from your body like T shape. Instead move your grip in a bit and keep your upper arms at a 45 degree angle to your torso. And bring the bar down low on your chest, while at the same try to expand your chest up to meet the bar.

To give you an idea of how to do this I recommend gripping the bar with your pinky fingers on the ring markers of the barbell. If you are taller then 6 foot then you may want to move your grip out so that your ring finger or middle finger is on the rings of the bar.

I would never recommend gripping the bar any wider then this, unless you are a powerlifter training with a bench press shirt, and that's a topic for another article entirely.

One of the fastest ways to increase your bench press strength is to improve your lifting technique. Now granted anytime you change your lifting technique, there is usually a bit of a learning curve and it takes a little getting used to. But once you get the hang of it, you'll notice the difference in strength and muscle fiber stimulation immediately.

Give this technique a try in your next bench press workout and then leave me a comment below to let me know how it works for you. Chances are you'll feel more of a "burn" in your pecs and less of a strain on your shoulders. And when you do you'll know that you just uncovered a hidden secret to helping you build a stronger, thicker, and more muscular chest!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

So if you have any questions about your workouts, building muscle, fatloss, nutrition, or any bodybuilding topic that you would like to know more about then nows your chance to get your questions answered by me personally.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

I just posted up a cool workout video that my buddy Super Dave Ruel and I shot last week while we were video taping the "Blast Your Biceps" workout DVD's

I worked up to doing a personal best set of hammer curls with the 80's and big Dave banged out reps with the 95's!

You should check out my new "Blast Your Biceps" page. Right on the site I share 3 of my all time best bicep blasting training tips that I personally used to help take my arm development to the next level...

FREE 10-Part Bodybuilding Tips e-Course

About Me

I got started working out when I was 12 years old. In 1990 my dad gave me a home gym for Christmas, it was a York 2001 machine and a York barbell and dumbbell set. From that point on I was hooked on working out.
During high school I worked out consistently and I would read every bodybuilding and fitness magazine that I could get my hands on. I’d get bodybuilding and exercise books from the library. I would record every bodybuilding contest that was on television and watch them over and over again. I was obsessed with learning as much about bodybuilding, exercise and nutrition as I could. While in my last year of high school I entered my first Bodybuilding contest, The 1995 Newfoundland Provincials, I was 17 years old at the time. Since then I have competed almost every year in bodybuilding competitions.

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